Reintroducing large mammals could restore the world's ecosystems
March 19, 2024 6:40 AM Subscribe
Reintroducing large mammals could restore the world's ecosystems.
Just 20 large mammals, including beavers, bears and bison, could bring back communities across a quarter of the planet.
I am always saying this! In my neck of the woods we have a vast overpopulation of deer, I think a local wolf pack would really make a difference.
I would rather see vast acres of subdivisions built on spec razed and the woodlands restored. I would trade all the little edible dogs and my ability to take relaxing walks at dusk for a more balanced ecosystem. We can teach our kids wolf safety! We can keep our livestock more secure! Just bring back wolves. And maybe bears (we have bears, but not many.)
Wetlands restoration, too. Beavers can help us with this, I am ready.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:22 AM on March 19 [19 favorites]
I would rather see vast acres of subdivisions built on spec razed and the woodlands restored. I would trade all the little edible dogs and my ability to take relaxing walks at dusk for a more balanced ecosystem. We can teach our kids wolf safety! We can keep our livestock more secure! Just bring back wolves. And maybe bears (we have bears, but not many.)
Wetlands restoration, too. Beavers can help us with this, I am ready.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:22 AM on March 19 [19 favorites]
including beavers, bears and bison...
Also badgers, buffalo, beets, and Battlestar Galactica.
posted by Riki tiki at 7:50 AM on March 19 [10 favorites]
Also badgers, buffalo, beets, and Battlestar Galactica.
posted by Riki tiki at 7:50 AM on March 19 [10 favorites]
I am 100% in favor of solving problems with wolves. Any problem that can be solved by adding wolves should be solved by adding wolves, I say.
posted by mhoye at 8:00 AM on March 19 [24 favorites]
posted by mhoye at 8:00 AM on March 19 [24 favorites]
In my neck of the woods we have a vast overpopulation of deer, I think a local wolf pack would really make a difference.
Then you'll be like Minnesota where hunters are demanding we control the wolf population because they're taking all the deer.
posted by nathan_teske at 8:09 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]
Then you'll be like Minnesota where hunters are demanding we control the wolf population because they're taking all the deer.
posted by nathan_teske at 8:09 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]
Beavers and muskrats are disproportionately effective in restoration by creating wetlands, which not only charges groundwater sources and enhances local climate, but provides fish and habitat for all other mammals, reptiles and birds. And they work like crazy to do it.
posted by Brian B. at 8:10 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]
posted by Brian B. at 8:10 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]
Skinner: Well, I was wrong; the lizards are a godsend.
Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse.
Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.
posted by pixlboi at 8:21 AM on March 19 [11 favorites]
Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse.
Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.
posted by pixlboi at 8:21 AM on March 19 [11 favorites]
Beavers are amazing! Restoration of wetlands by beavers also creates habitat that is more resilient to wildfires, which can provide a safer place for fleeing wildlife and a source for recovery because insects, animals, seeds, etc. will naturally return to the damaged areas for regrowth and repopulation.
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:23 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:23 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]
well the thing you have to understand about beavers is that they're just gonna do what they want they just don't give a dam
posted by glonous keming at 8:31 AM on March 19 [8 favorites]
posted by glonous keming at 8:31 AM on March 19 [8 favorites]
Living with beavers can be tough.
That's my neighbourhood and wow it was an argument. In the end the beaver baffle was installed, sabotaged, re-installed, and the beavers moved into actual wetlands further down the road. The fences around the trees were removed just this summer. I will say though, the pond remains and is a nice place to watch some ducklings grow up each year. It's a bit smelly.
Coyotes have taken a fawn down across the street next to the bluffs, but mostly they eat the roadkill (trackkill?) from the trains mentioned in that article, and rabbits. And occasionally a pet if people leave them out. I don't think wolves are a good choice for Toronto though. :)
posted by warriorqueen at 8:42 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
That's my neighbourhood and wow it was an argument. In the end the beaver baffle was installed, sabotaged, re-installed, and the beavers moved into actual wetlands further down the road. The fences around the trees were removed just this summer. I will say though, the pond remains and is a nice place to watch some ducklings grow up each year. It's a bit smelly.
Coyotes have taken a fawn down across the street next to the bluffs, but mostly they eat the roadkill (trackkill?) from the trains mentioned in that article, and rabbits. And occasionally a pet if people leave them out. I don't think wolves are a good choice for Toronto though. :)
posted by warriorqueen at 8:42 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
#teammoarwolves
posted by supermedusa at 8:50 AM on March 19
posted by supermedusa at 8:50 AM on March 19
1) Bringing back Wolves to Yellowstone was an awesome win, mostly because Beavers came back.
2) This should be combined with E. O. Wilson's idea of half-earth.
posted by indianbadger1 at 8:54 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]
2) This should be combined with E. O. Wilson's idea of half-earth.
posted by indianbadger1 at 8:54 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]
If wolves or cougars or coyotes would take care of the urban Canada Geese and turkeys, you'd see a lot of enthusiasm
posted by Ber at 8:55 AM on March 19 [3 favorites]
posted by Ber at 8:55 AM on March 19 [3 favorites]
Living with beavers can be tough.
A lot of the species listed in this study are tough to live with at close quarters. They all have tremendous ecosystem value, but generally poor compatibility with farming, residential areas, roadways, etc. So in a lot of cases, to successfully reintroduce them at scale, you'd have to simultaneously pull back from farming and living in areas, or rebuild a lot of infrastructure to accommodate, say, rising water tables and inundated areas.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:58 AM on March 19 [7 favorites]
A lot of the species listed in this study are tough to live with at close quarters. They all have tremendous ecosystem value, but generally poor compatibility with farming, residential areas, roadways, etc. So in a lot of cases, to successfully reintroduce them at scale, you'd have to simultaneously pull back from farming and living in areas, or rebuild a lot of infrastructure to accommodate, say, rising water tables and inundated areas.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:58 AM on March 19 [7 favorites]
you'd have to simultaneously pull back from farming and living in areas, or rebuild a lot of infrastructure to accommodate, say, rising water tables and inundated areas.
Brilliant idea we should pursue regardless of beaver situation.
posted by GoblinHoney at 9:06 AM on March 19 [11 favorites]
Brilliant idea we should pursue regardless of beaver situation.
posted by GoblinHoney at 9:06 AM on March 19 [11 favorites]
I would trade all the little edible dogs
my friend was having a run in Edmonton's river valley and a coyote tried to drag her dog into the bush
her dog was a Wheaton Terrier, hardly a toy breed. A coyote got its teeth into my Sheltie once, he was pretty solid and stocky for a Sheltie (I've seen much smaller ones with finer features). I don't have a point, other than: urban coyotes are bold.. we talk about raccoons adapting, I'd say coyotes are doing alright also. and don't get me started about the multigenerational hares in Edmonton, pretty sure some of them have consolidated in the cemetery off 107 Ave
posted by elkevelvet at 9:10 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
my friend was having a run in Edmonton's river valley and a coyote tried to drag her dog into the bush
her dog was a Wheaton Terrier, hardly a toy breed. A coyote got its teeth into my Sheltie once, he was pretty solid and stocky for a Sheltie (I've seen much smaller ones with finer features). I don't have a point, other than: urban coyotes are bold.. we talk about raccoons adapting, I'd say coyotes are doing alright also. and don't get me started about the multigenerational hares in Edmonton, pretty sure some of them have consolidated in the cemetery off 107 Ave
posted by elkevelvet at 9:10 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
In the end the beaver baffle was installed, sabotaged, re-installed, and the beavers moved into actual wetlands further down the road.
The solution might be to send them out west where there's a million square miles to restore.
posted by Brian B. at 9:20 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
The solution might be to send them out west where there's a million square miles to restore.
posted by Brian B. at 9:20 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
Maybe you have to start with fixing things at the bottom before you start to build up? Top-down rewilding is sexy, but while bottom-up rewilding is more challenging, it's likely to be more rewarding in the long term, by restoring ecosystem services including habitat for the big stuff. That said, I fully support beavers aplenty as a way to enrich our sadly neglected and undervalued river floodplains.
posted by aeshnid at 9:32 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
posted by aeshnid at 9:32 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
The solution might be to send them out west where there's a million square miles to restore.
posted by elkevelvet at 9:40 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
posted by elkevelvet at 9:40 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
Wetlands restoration, too. Beavers can help us with this, I am ready.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 9:22 AM on March 19 [7 favorites +]
Well... of course youwould say that!
(-;
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 9:52 AM on March 19 [4 favorites]
posted by Lawn Beaver at 9:22 AM on March 19 [7 favorites +]
Well... of course youwould say that!
(-;
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 9:52 AM on March 19 [4 favorites]
Brilliant idea we should pursue regardless of beaver situation.
I'm not arguing with that as a concept in general, just pointing out that these mostly aren't species where reintroduction is easy or simple, and the ecological benefits come with a lot of other trade offs. The article in the FPP nods to some of the difficulties; the authors of the study are definitely aware.
I would trade all the little edible dogs
While again not arguing with the ecological value of swapping pets for wolves, it's important to also acknowledge that people feel sad when their pet gets eaten and this will cause real friction with reintroductions. (I'm reminded of the recent AskMe about the emotional pain of a missing pet, who hopefully hasn't been eaten and will come home soon.) And the first time that reintroduced wolves eat someone's kid is going to be a royal shitshow.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:53 AM on March 19 [4 favorites]
I'm not arguing with that as a concept in general, just pointing out that these mostly aren't species where reintroduction is easy or simple, and the ecological benefits come with a lot of other trade offs. The article in the FPP nods to some of the difficulties; the authors of the study are definitely aware.
I would trade all the little edible dogs
While again not arguing with the ecological value of swapping pets for wolves, it's important to also acknowledge that people feel sad when their pet gets eaten and this will cause real friction with reintroductions. (I'm reminded of the recent AskMe about the emotional pain of a missing pet, who hopefully hasn't been eaten and will come home soon.) And the first time that reintroduced wolves eat someone's kid is going to be a royal shitshow.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:53 AM on March 19 [4 favorites]
IIRC the introduction of beavers to Patagonia was not an ecological success.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 9:57 AM on March 19
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 9:57 AM on March 19
A few years ago there were two instances of a coyote getting slight taste of toddlers just outside Boston. Have not heard any other instances recently, suspect some very quiet 'herd adjustment' may have been done.
posted by sammyo at 10:01 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 10:01 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
Living with beavers is like working in the same codebase as a crazy persistent engineer who's trying to solve a totally different problem than you are.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 10:08 AM on March 19 [6 favorites]
posted by WaterAndPixels at 10:08 AM on March 19 [6 favorites]
and don't get me started about the multigenerational hares in Edmonton, pretty sure some of them have consolidated in the cemetery off 107 Ave
A Great Horned Owl roost would contain that problem
posted by srboisvert at 10:13 AM on March 19 [2 favorites]
A Great Horned Owl roost would contain that problem
posted by srboisvert at 10:13 AM on March 19 [2 favorites]
Oh and I had a lovely quiet visit in Montana near Bitterroot lake. Was shown wolf footprints in the snow. Leaned down and noted that my hand did not cover the paw print. One big footed wolfee. Not at all disappointed wolfee was far away at that point. I'm very pro diverse ecology, but it sure is complicated.
posted by sammyo at 10:19 AM on March 19
posted by sammyo at 10:19 AM on March 19
IIRC the introduction of beavers to Patagonia was not an ecological success.
Well, it was successful for the beavers, along with the introduced salmon.
But in fairness, the article is talking about reintroductions, bringing species back to where they had previously existed. It's not promoting introducing species willy-nilly; we already do plenty of that. For an example, see the recent conviction of that guy in Montana who wanted to create and introduce (and sell) hybrid Marco Polo argali sheep for better hunting opportunities.
posted by Dip Flash at 10:24 AM on March 19 [3 favorites]
Well, it was successful for the beavers, along with the introduced salmon.
But in fairness, the article is talking about reintroductions, bringing species back to where they had previously existed. It's not promoting introducing species willy-nilly; we already do plenty of that. For an example, see the recent conviction of that guy in Montana who wanted to create and introduce (and sell) hybrid Marco Polo argali sheep for better hunting opportunities.
posted by Dip Flash at 10:24 AM on March 19 [3 favorites]
I'm very pro diverse ecology, but it sure is complicated.
if you are out alone at dusk, with more than 10 min between you and the nearest structure/vehicle, and you hear a pack of coyotes light it up with their yipping and calls.. no amount of "they don't attack adult humans" will do a damn thing about the hairs that raise from your neck and the feeling you get that is as close to your naked ancestors as you might experience
posted by elkevelvet at 10:25 AM on March 19 [6 favorites]
if you are out alone at dusk, with more than 10 min between you and the nearest structure/vehicle, and you hear a pack of coyotes light it up with their yipping and calls.. no amount of "they don't attack adult humans" will do a damn thing about the hairs that raise from your neck and the feeling you get that is as close to your naked ancestors as you might experience
posted by elkevelvet at 10:25 AM on March 19 [6 favorites]
I was not trying to be flippant in my earlier comment! It is complicated, there will be conflict, and it's still worth starting to really do. Like, what are people doing (broadly speaking) that is more important than working to rebalance ecosystems? AI? Crossfit? Genocide? Let's work on better problems.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 10:35 AM on March 19 [3 favorites]
posted by Lawn Beaver at 10:35 AM on March 19 [3 favorites]
The people who really hate wolves are of course ranchers raising livestock. From a wolf POV, a ranch is basically a buffet and even fear of getting shot isn't always enough. (Same for coyotes, hawks, snakes, foxes). Just ask any rancher/farmer.
Personally, I'd rather we really start lab-growing meat in earnest, rewild pastures, and let the predators be.
posted by emjaybee at 11:07 AM on March 19 [2 favorites]
Personally, I'd rather we really start lab-growing meat in earnest, rewild pastures, and let the predators be.
posted by emjaybee at 11:07 AM on March 19 [2 favorites]
My neighborhood has coyotes. I saw a pair while walking my daughter to school the other day. Fortunately they stopped at the stop sign, otherwise I would have yelled at them. They know the rules.
posted by The_Vegetables at 11:09 AM on March 19 [2 favorites]
posted by The_Vegetables at 11:09 AM on March 19 [2 favorites]
f you are out alone at dusk, with more than 10 min between you and the nearest structure/vehicle, and you hear a pack of coyotes light it up with their yipping and calls.. no amount of "they don't attack adult humans" will do a damn thing about the hairs that raise from your neck and the feeling you get that is as close to your naked ancestors as you might experience
posted by elkevelvet at 13:25 on March 19 [1 favorite +]
I've taken to using a multi-use path for the first couple of km of my commute and I've seen coyotes many times during the day. On my way home it's always dark and the only illumination is my bike light and yeah I'm always trying to be alert for the pack of coyotes that's going to get me. All I've ever seen are some deer and I hope to keep it that way. Even still I'm OK with the coyotes being there.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:40 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
posted by elkevelvet at 13:25 on March 19 [1 favorite +]
I've taken to using a multi-use path for the first couple of km of my commute and I've seen coyotes many times during the day. On my way home it's always dark and the only illumination is my bike light and yeah I'm always trying to be alert for the pack of coyotes that's going to get me. All I've ever seen are some deer and I hope to keep it that way. Even still I'm OK with the coyotes being there.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:40 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
I'm surprised the article didn't mention the influential 2005 Nature Commentary about Re-wilding North America with megafauna from the Pleistocene era. As a student, I got to work on genotyping Bolson Tortoises, the first species that was proposed to be used to "rewild" NA because it still exists (pop. dwindling due to consumption, people taking them as pets, and habitat loss). They're large desert dwellers and the Turner Ranch in New Mexico and some enthusiastic herpetologist are working to aid their recovery in the region.
So, uh, if you see a giant tortoise in the desert, please leave it be.
posted by lizjohn at 11:40 AM on March 19 [3 favorites]
So, uh, if you see a giant tortoise in the desert, please leave it be.
posted by lizjohn at 11:40 AM on March 19 [3 favorites]
Even still I'm OK with the coyotes being there.
for sure! I will never forget the tent concert a friend arranged on their property. Just as we settled in and the performer started introducing himself, the coyotes started up with gusto, truly one of the most noisome and extended bouts of singing I've heard, and the performer paused and we all appreciated that but then he launched into his song and that is when I felt predisposed to enjoy his music a bit less.
who doesn't just wait and let the coyotes have their time? honestly I can't account for the poor judgement
posted by elkevelvet at 11:53 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
for sure! I will never forget the tent concert a friend arranged on their property. Just as we settled in and the performer started introducing himself, the coyotes started up with gusto, truly one of the most noisome and extended bouts of singing I've heard, and the performer paused and we all appreciated that but then he launched into his song and that is when I felt predisposed to enjoy his music a bit less.
who doesn't just wait and let the coyotes have their time? honestly I can't account for the poor judgement
posted by elkevelvet at 11:53 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]
Hey, you're a large mammal! You could eat all those niche-wrecking meat popsicles too, instead of paying money for farmed beef.
Granted the deer all have ticks and worms, but the cows probably do too.
posted by Rev. Irreverent Revenant at 12:05 PM on March 19
Granted the deer all have ticks and worms, but the cows probably do too.
posted by Rev. Irreverent Revenant at 12:05 PM on March 19
Hmmm... I'll add this to the list of citations in my plan to introduce a koala population to the Berkeley/Oakland hills.
posted by kaibutsu at 12:23 PM on March 19 [1 favorite]
posted by kaibutsu at 12:23 PM on March 19 [1 favorite]
I've been reading up on histories of woodland pasture lately - essentially, lightly-managed woodlands where people allowed animals to graze, resulting in highly biodiverse semi-wooded conditions. Humans have been creating woodland pastures for millennia, to excellent ecological effect. There are organizations in various places working to protect such pasture - it doesn't last on its own, it needs grazing and tending.
Granted, the woodland pasture conversation is predominantly grazing animals - nonetheless, from a woodland ecology perspective, bringing large mammals back so they can do the things they do makes so much sense. Glad to see the UN has produced a clear, overview study on it.
posted by marlys at 12:30 PM on March 19 [1 favorite]
Granted, the woodland pasture conversation is predominantly grazing animals - nonetheless, from a woodland ecology perspective, bringing large mammals back so they can do the things they do makes so much sense. Glad to see the UN has produced a clear, overview study on it.
posted by marlys at 12:30 PM on March 19 [1 favorite]
When I was so much younger than today and was sent to British Columbia’s Chilcotin region to stay with relatives, all of them had copies of a book called Three Against the Wilderness, a tale of Chilcotin homesteading, battles with the elements, and a quest to bring the beaver back to the area.
Basically, the beaver were hunted and trapped out, which changed the water tables, and that in turn dried out the forests and led to raging forest fires.
posted by house-goblin at 1:27 PM on March 19 [2 favorites]
Basically, the beaver were hunted and trapped out, which changed the water tables, and that in turn dried out the forests and led to raging forest fires.
posted by house-goblin at 1:27 PM on March 19 [2 favorites]
Basically, the beaver were hunted and trapped out, which changed the water tables, and that in turn dried out the forests and led to raging forest fires.
rinse and repeat in Alberta: drainage of muskeg areas, either for oil and gas access or farming
draining and eliminating muskeg is akin to wringing a sponge: you end up with a dry sponge
posted by elkevelvet at 1:30 PM on March 19 [2 favorites]
rinse and repeat in Alberta: drainage of muskeg areas, either for oil and gas access or farming
draining and eliminating muskeg is akin to wringing a sponge: you end up with a dry sponge
posted by elkevelvet at 1:30 PM on March 19 [2 favorites]
I am always thrilled to be able to tell people about how Scottish wildcats were released in Cairngorms National Park in '23, because LOOK AT THESE DOOFUSES.
posted by pollytropos at 1:38 PM on March 19 [3 favorites]
posted by pollytropos at 1:38 PM on March 19 [3 favorites]
I've been reading up on histories of woodland pasture lately - essentially, lightly-managed woodlands where people allowed animals to graze, resulting in highly biodiverse semi-wooded conditions. Humans have been creating woodland pastures for millennia, to excellent ecological effect. There are organizations in various places working to protect such pasture - it doesn't last on its own, it needs grazing and tending.
In the western US, fire was used to create similar open forested landscapes for thousands of years, creating conditions that among other things were beneficial to herds of elk and deer. Speaking very generally, I think people often underestimate how much active management was used, over very long periods of time, to shift plant and animal communities in ways that people considered desirable, across much of the world. But they all take active management to maintain, and once you remove that active management (like setting low-intensity fires, or stopping coppicing), things start to change.
posted by Dip Flash at 2:06 PM on March 19 [2 favorites]
In the western US, fire was used to create similar open forested landscapes for thousands of years, creating conditions that among other things were beneficial to herds of elk and deer. Speaking very generally, I think people often underestimate how much active management was used, over very long periods of time, to shift plant and animal communities in ways that people considered desirable, across much of the world. But they all take active management to maintain, and once you remove that active management (like setting low-intensity fires, or stopping coppicing), things start to change.
posted by Dip Flash at 2:06 PM on March 19 [2 favorites]
Yeah there's a scene in the movie Only Yesterday where the main character from Tokyo is talking with a farmer in the rural countryside she's visiting about how much she enjoys the nature there and he has to correct her by pointing out that everything she sees, from the forests to the rivers, has been shaped and managed by people for hundreds of years and isn't some unspoiled wilderness.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:22 PM on March 19 [2 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:22 PM on March 19 [2 favorites]
Whales could be key to reducing carbon dioxide. I heard about this on an episode of the BBC Discovery podcast, and it fascinated me. Now, I can't say how much impact this could have on climate change, but it is fascinating nonetheless.
One thing the podcast emphasized, which isn't spelled out in the University of Hawaii article: the nutrients fall toward the bottom of the ocean, and are captured by the squid. The whales dive in the dark deep and eat the squid. But they do not poop down deep because the high pressure won't allow it. They come up to the surface, where phytoplankton want to grow, and poop there. The nutrients in the poop spur phytoplanton growth, fixing the carbon so that it can fall to the bottom of the ocean.
I think that in fact the whales must also be bringing carbon back up from the deep, but hey, it's complicated!
posted by polecat at 2:22 PM on March 19
One thing the podcast emphasized, which isn't spelled out in the University of Hawaii article: the nutrients fall toward the bottom of the ocean, and are captured by the squid. The whales dive in the dark deep and eat the squid. But they do not poop down deep because the high pressure won't allow it. They come up to the surface, where phytoplankton want to grow, and poop there. The nutrients in the poop spur phytoplanton growth, fixing the carbon so that it can fall to the bottom of the ocean.
I think that in fact the whales must also be bringing carbon back up from the deep, but hey, it's complicated!
posted by polecat at 2:22 PM on March 19
Everyone wants to reintroduce koalas. Real heads want to reintroduce diprotodon.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:06 PM on March 19 [1 favorite]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:06 PM on March 19 [1 favorite]
We had some beavers reintroduced locally last year, it is all going very well so far! It's amazing how much they have changed the local landscape in just a few months.
posted by goo at 5:48 PM on March 19 [5 favorites]
posted by goo at 5:48 PM on March 19 [5 favorites]
When your Australian animal name is diprotodon, you know you are extinct...
posted by Windopaene at 6:06 PM on March 19 [1 favorite]
posted by Windopaene at 6:06 PM on March 19 [1 favorite]
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